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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The water is too ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cold — an illness
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. board — a committee
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — to sink
  16. board — to get on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com